American flag football group seeks players

 

Beijing flag football players meet every Saturday afternoon in Chaoyang Park. Photo provided by Yoyao Hsueh

 

By Annie Wei

The cold did not deter some people from playing ball in Chaoyang Park last Saturday afternoon. Among them were members of Beijing Flag Football, the city’s lone American flag football group.

The sport, similar to American football, is popular in its native US but is little-known in China. Three American guys introduced it to Beijing in August: Yoyao Hsueh, 29, a peer counselor; Cliff Torrijos, 31, a personal trainer; and Josh Suarez, 26, an English teacher. They met online as they were scouring the internet for local flag football teams. There were none, so they decided to start one.

“The first time we plyed, we had five people. In about 3 weeks, we had probably 15 and it’s just grown exponentially despite the cold weather,” Hsueh said. Sixty people have signed up, most of whom are 20- to 30-year-old foreigners.

The group only manages to gather 15 to 20 people to its weekly games, including a couple of avid Chinese players. When the temperature plummeted last week, only eight players showed up. But no matter the weather, as long as they have eight confirmations, the minimum to play the game, they will be out on the field, Hsueh said.

He said the group is planning its first spring league in Beijing and is looking for skilled players. “his makes games competitive, but not overly competitive to the point where it is no longer fun.”

“We want to create a social and fun league. We want it to work as a multicultural platform and have Chinese players joinin and spread the sport,” he said.

The group plays every Saturday afternoon at Chaoyang Park. Participants only need to pay 5 yuan for the park entrance. Hsueh and his fellow organizers are scouting for a better venue.

The group already has a sponsor but welcomes more partnerships. For more information, visit beijingflagfootball.com.